health

With Valentine’s day around the corner, we’re seeing hearts everywhere and this is a great opportunity to remind ourselves to keep our hearts healthy and strong. The heart is a crucial organ, responsible for pumping blood, nutrients, and waste to/from all parts of the body. Without our hearts’ functioning properly, we would cease to be alive. So how do we keep our hearts healthy and strong? Simple… eliminate and reduce the things that make our hearts weak, at the same time try to do more of the activities that strengthen our heart’s health.

-One major factor to our heart’s health is whether or not you smoke. Why is smoking so bad for the heart? The nicotine in cigarettes will cause your heart rate and blood pressure to sky rocket. The smoke from cigarettes (carbon monoxide) will rob your body of oxygen, which is needed by every body part in our body. In addition to that already mentioned, smoking can also cause your blood vessels to clot, thus making it harder for your heart to pump blood to the rest of your body. Having the heart work harder for long periods of time will cause it heart to weaken over time.

-Manage your blood pressure and blood sugar. Blood pressure is the pressure of your blood on the walls of our arteries. It’s an indicator of how well our cardiovascular system is working. Too low or too high, is a sign of how well your heart is working. Either of which is not a good thing especially long periods of time. The ideal range is more than 120 over 80 mmHg and less than 140 over 90 mmHg.

-When someone has diabetes, their body can’t maintain healthy levels of glucose in the blood. Glucose is a form of sugar which is the main source of energy for our bodies. Unhealthy levels of glucose in the blood can lead to long term and short term health complications such as heart damage, blood vessel damage, and organ damage.

-Other things that you should avoid in order to have a healthy heart: limit consumption salt/sodium, LDL fats and excessive amounts of alcohol.

What are things you can do more of to strength our hearts.

-Eat a variety of nutritious foods. The emphasis here is on nutrition, which means consume foods based on its effects on your body. Eat lots of vegetables, moderate fruits, proteins, and healthy fats. A simple way to test this is how do you feel after eating? After consuming a meal, are you tired or are you full of energy? How are you feeling after consuming a meal? If you are eating nutritious foods, your body will respond favorably and you’ll notice more energy.

-Exercise is by far one of the most important things you can do to keep your heart healthy. Any type of movement and activity that doesn’t require sitting, standing or laying around for a number of hours is great. Find activities that you enjoy and that you can do with a friend to help keep you accountable. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 150 minutes of exercise per week, that is approximately 30 mins of exercise 5 days a week. The harder you push yourself in your work outs, the less time you’ll have to commit to enduring it. That’s why high intensity interval training is becoming very popular with those who don’t have a lot of time to work out. Maximum effort in short periods of time at a fraction of a work out duration. Keep moving, our body’s were designed to move, start to embrace exercise as preventative medicine.

Doesn’t hurt to also get your nervous system checked to make sure the nerves that control your heart are functioning optimally.

According to scientists being grateful correlates directly to your overall wellbeing. In an article from NBC Today not only does being grateful benefit your health but it also improves your mood. Below is an outline from the NBC Today News article:

– “Clinical trials indicate that the practice of gratitude can have dramatic and lasting effects in a person’s life,” states Robert A. Emmons, professor of psychology at UC Davis. “It can lower blood pressure, improve immune function and facilitate more efficient sleep.” In addition another study from the University of California-San Diego’s School of Medicine found that people who were more grateful actually had better heart health, specifically less inflammation and improved heart rhythms. “They showed a better well-being, a less depressed mood, less fatigue and they slept better,” writes Paul J. Mills. He continues on to mention that “when I am more grateful, I feel more connected with myself and with my environment. That’s the opposite of what stress does.”

– People who keep a gratitude journal have a reduced dietary fat intake — as much as 25 percent lower. Stress hormones like cortisol are 23 percent lower in grateful people. Additionally, having a daily gratitude practice could actually reduce the effects of aging to the brain. Being thankful has such a profound effect because of the feelings that go along with it, Emmons declares.

– Another study found that gratitude can boost your immune system. For example, researchers from the University of Utah and Kentucky have observed that stressed-out law students who characterized themselves as optimistic actually had more disease-fighting cells in their bodies.

– “Gratitude works because, as a way of perceiving and interpreting life, it recruits other positive emotions that have direct physical benefits, most likely through the immune or endocrine system.”

– Research shows that when we think about what we appreciate, the parasympathetic or calming part of the nervous system is triggered and that can have benefits on the body. Which includes decreasing cortisol levels and perhaps increasing oxytocin (the bonding hormone involved in relationships that make us feel good).

So what are someways to practice being more grateful?

1) Keep a gratitude journal. Everyday list several things that you are grateful for. It can be as simple as having a warm bed to sleep in, having food on the table, or just being grateful for being alive. Don’t be picky, appreciate everything.

2) Finding gratitude in your challenges. Look for the silver lining in tough times and be grateful for being a better person because of it.

3) Volunteer. Giving back to the community can be very satisfying and helping others in need will also help you appreciate the things you do have. Find a cause that you are passionate about and go out there and serve.

4) Spend time with loved ones. If you are struggling with feeling grateful for life and the things you have, spend more time with friends/family. Grow and foster those relationships. It’ll give you an opportunity to practice your acts of gratitude on your loved ones.

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About Dr. Palmes

Dr. Gerald Palmes is a San Diego chiropractor whose mission and goal is to help and enhance people’s lives through chiropractic care as well as make a positive impact on his community.

Dr. Palmes enjoys working with people from all walks of life. He specializes in pregnancy, pediatric care, as well as working with athletes. He enjoys getting to know his patients and learning what their goals are, in order to help achieve them. He strives to lead a healthy and active life, and hopes he can help others fulfill a healthy balance life.

About Dr. Palmes

As a San Diego Chiropractor, Dr. Palmes is committed to helping you achieve better health and an improved quality of life. Optimal function is dependent on a properly working nervous system. This is where chiropractic comes in.